Paul Hurst laughing off exit talk amid Shrewsbury goal-glut
Paul Hurst was delighted to postpone talks of a Shrewsbury Town nosedive after his side recovered to dish out an FA Cup hammering.
Town bounced back from their first league defeat of the campaign to put five beyond Aldershot Town and ease into the second round of the competition.
With his side's unblemished league record ended by Peterborough seven days prior, and reports linking him with the vacant managerial role at Sunderland, Hurst was determined for his not to slip up on the potential banana skin tie with the Shots.
Five different scorers, Alex Rodman, Shaun Whalley, Stefan Payne, Arthur Gnahoua and Carlton Morris, netted as Town await their second round foe to be decided in tonight's draw.
"We lost our last game," said the boss. "As well as we've started the season, and we're top of League One, which is great, ultimately we're only as good as our last game.
"If we'd have lost on Saturday, I guarantee there'd have been a few murmurings of 'oh the wheels have come off – they've gone'.
"It was nice to get a comprehensive win. Any of that talk will have to wait for a couple of weeks' time, if we're going to have it at all."
Town managed their comfortable win without the suspended Abu Ogogo or Dean Henderson, who was not permitted to play by parent club Manchester United.
Long-term injury victim Junior Brown underwent surgery on his damaged anterior cruciate ligament as Town eased to the next stage.
Hurst added: "We know there's some really tough tests coming up, no doubt about that.
"We might take a few hits on the way, but at the minute it's down the line and something we'll look at."
Meanwhile, Hurst revealed the 'banter' exchanged in the Town dressing room after his link with Championship side Sunderland, who sacked Simon Grayson last week.
"The players raised it to me," Hurst smiled. "A couple of them said that if it was true they wouldn't mind coming up to be a water boy or something like that.
"Just a few bits of light-hearted banter. That's all it is.
"If my focus is lost, they'll pick up on that and vice versa. If they think 'I'm not sure what's happening', then I'll be on them.
"It's very much about here and keeping the attitude."
